In an Information Technology (IT) environment, an awareness of the configuration, changes, and interrelationships between computing resources allows for system optimization and rapid response to faults. In some circumstances, a configuration management database may be used to keep track of computing resources, such as hardware, software, network connections, etc. Initially, a scan of the complete IT infrastructure is used to populate the configuration management database. Subsequent changes are routinely reported to the database using a “request for change” mechanism. However, activities and changes made outside of the “request for change” mechanism are sometimes not reported to the database.
As a result of these unreported activities and changes, the database can become inaccurate. When a fault or malfunction arises within the IT infrastructure, it is important to have accurate configuration information to effectively resolve the problem. If the information contained within the configuration management database is insufficient to identify the source of the problem, the entire system is often scanned to update the database. This comprehensive and indiscriminant scan of the IT infrastructure can take a significant amount of time, consume limited computing resources, and generate a large amount of data that is not related to the immediate problem.